The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-23
SAM JONES.
The APOSTLE OF Prohibition Opens the
Tennessee Campaign.
From the Chattanooga Times, June End.

The Apostle OF Prohibition Opens the
Tennessee Campaign.
Z From the Chattanooga Times, June End.
Probably the largest crowd, the ladies
being in the majority, ever assembled
in Chattanooga, met last night at the
opera house to hear Sam Jones open the
prohibition campaign in this State.
Every available seat in the entire i'm
mense auditorium was taken, and the
-aisles, halls, corridors, foyers and even
the stage was crowded, and hundreds
we're turned away unable to get in.
I at 8 o'clock promptly a choir com:
posed of E. P. Murphy, Lon Warner,
Geo. H. Curtis aud Prof. Steen rendered
the song "That is Prohibition" after
which Prof. Lewis, of the University, en-
gagged in an earnest prayer.
E. P. Murphy then rendered with
wonderful effect and force in an inimita.
BILE rich voice. marching Down to the
River" after which Rev. G. G. Rankin,
after making one or two announcements,
introduced the speaker of the evening,
the famous
SAM JONES.
Mr.. Jones advanced to the edge of the
stage aud said, after hesitatinga a few mo-
ments:
You all know that it is my rule when
I'm going to talk, only one can talk at 8
time. Now you folks over there at the
door, If you amt going to quit talking
get out of here right now so that people
who want to hear won'tbe disturbed.
Ny friends, I am glad to be with you
tonight at the opening of the campaign
for prohibition in the grand old State Of
Tennessee. I;remember an occasion like
this in Atlanta. I left revival in pro.
gress at Birmingham to go to Atlanta to
open the; prohibition campaign in that
city, atthe.opera house, too, and it was
crowded like this houseis tonight"
At this point the talking at the en-.
trance broke out again, and the speaker
spoke out loudly eve need police-
man there at the back of the house. Will
one of YOU men back. there
KNOCK THAT FELLOWS TEETH OUT
who is talking; I'll pay your fine. What
ails you, anyhowf Are you drunk OF
are you fool? Is that talking down
stairs, or is it some fool up stairs 2"
These remarks seemed to have a sooth-
ing effect, and after the laughter and
applause subsided the speaker proceeded.
aI believe I am honoring God in this
prohibition work. don't care for poll
tics-ifits politics against prohibition, I
am for prohibition every time. God is
calling to men to come out and help in
this fight, and when God says whoa |!
you'd better stop, ole hoss, tell you. I
am following my calling when 1 am
preaching prohibition.
No, my friends, the issue is not SO
much the tariff, the interstate law, reve.
nue., ETC., but it is this grand issue that
brings us together to night, the issue of
whether we shall protect society or
whether we shall sustain the saloons and
destroy society. It: ia, my friends, q
question of the survival of the fttest.
Now, fit is bettersto sustain the saloons
aud let society go to wreck, let's abandon
this cause; let us have free whisky at
every. point and dippers hung on every
5bough, and gorge and gorge ourselves
until we puke up some of our meanness.
But if ne are to maintain society ne
must let the saloons go and not rest until
they are exterminated root and branch.
DIFFERENT VIEW POINTS.
On this question of prohibition in Ten.
.nessee, Of course every man has his views
and they are formed from different
points. You will find mems views
rooted either in their hands, their hearts
OF their pockets. / find some men who
want whisky, some who wanthigh gh license
and some who want prohibition. For
my part want either free liquor or pro-
hibition. Ifit is good thing let's have
it free; fit is bad thing, in the name
of Gods let's kill it forever from the face
of the earth. High license is no
friend to prohibition; it simply
digni6es the calling, puts it into costlier
places and drives out the little fellows so
that the big ones can make all the money.
You might as we'll talk about putting a
high license on the cholera, yellow fever,
smallpox or any other curse. And I say
fits a good thing let's turn it loose; but
if is not good let's not gild itaud con-
fine it to fine rooms, but let's do, away
with it altogether.
I do mot think it is necessary before
this Intelligent audience to argue as to
whether it is good or not. There is not
a saloon man who, if he would tell the
truth, would not admit that it was bad,
but they won't admit it, because their
opinion comes from their pocket-books.
The papers reported that Isaid ! would
give any man $500 who would pledge
himself that he never expected to do
anything to save his soul. I didn't say
it, but one fellow came to me and said
he was willing to sign that pledge. Now
if one man is willing to sell his own soul
for $500, it is strange that others in the
saloon business are willing 10 do the
same, for they know they can never go
to heaven while they sell this damnable
stuff.
Money is great thing. But did you
ever hear of a dying man endowing a
saloon? Did ever dying man say /:
"Here, my son, take this money and run